Wildlife smuggler sentenced after bringing 1,700 reptiles into the US

A wildlife trafficker was sentenced May 28 to 65 months in prison, for his role in a scheme that saw at least 1,700 reptiles brought into the United States illegally, the Department of Justice announced May 29.

From January 2016 to February 2022, Jose Manuel Perez and his co-conspirators smuggled at least 1,700 reptiles into the United States from Mexico, Hong Kong and elsewhere, without the proper permits or declaring them at border crossings. According to the DOJ, the scheme brought in more than $739,000.

Perez, who was living in Southern California at the time, pleaded guilty to smuggling goods into the U.S. and wildlife trafficking charges in August 2022.

Here's what you should know about the scheme and how it was perpetrated.

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According to the DOJ, Perez would negotiate the terms of purchases and delivery via social media. He also advertised the animals he was selling on social media, posting photos that showed them being caught in the wild.

The animals smuggled from Mexico, including Yucatán box turtles, Mexican box turtles, baby crocodiles, and Mexican beaded lizards, were picked up from an international airport in Ciudad Juarez, a border town that sits on the edge of west Texas.

The animals would then be driven roughly 10 miles to a border crossing into El Paso, the DOJ said in its news release. Perez’s co-conspirators were paid a fee for each border crossing.

Perez also traveled to Mexico on several occasions to retrieve the animals and smuggle them into the U.S., the DOJ said.

Perez was already serving a nine-year prison sentence for firearms possession by a felon, according to the DOJ.

Drew Pittock covers national trending news for USA TODAY. He can be reached at DPittock@usatodayco.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trafficker sentenced after smuggling 1,700 reptiles into US